Children's Home run by Keys Care Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC370910 1 SC370910 Registered provider: Bettercare Keys Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to offer care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private company owns and operates this children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has addressed the shortfalls that were identified at the last inspection, resulting in the following improvements:

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

 The children have their views, wishes and feelings taken into account in matters relating to their care.  The children attend weekly team meetings with the staff to discuss the issues that affect them.  The children have individual key-work sessions with a focus on learning.  The children give feedback on the staff, which is used as a means to recognise strengths and weaknesses and areas for development.  The staff benefit from regular supervision with specific attention paid to their Inspection report children’s home: SC370910 2 practice.  A therapist works with the staff to support them to manage the children’s behaviour effectively.  Staff are given individual roles to ensure that the home runs smoothly.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are making progress. The staff promote education, and have successfully integrated a child who was not previously attending into full-time education. The child said, ‘I’ve changed as a person. I go to school now. I didn’t understand what the concern was about – not going – but I do now.’ Another child has home tuition while a school placement is being found. This child has been out of school for some time and home tuition is a step to reintegration to full-time education. The staff receive training to help them to promote the children’s safety and well-being. There are positive links between the home and other agencies such as the transport police. The children have incentives and targets set to encourage positive behaviour. For example, for one child, good attendance in education is rewarded by a visit to a beauty salon to have her nails done. The internal and external monitoring is effective and considers the views of parents,

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

children and professionals. Monitoring visits by an independent person are generally thorough and offer challenge. The recent review of the quality of care is comprehensive. The range of monitoring systems provides a comprehensive review and assessment of the home and the care provided, which enables the manager to identify strengths and areas for development. Feedback from the children’s families and external professionals is positive. The staff are confident in engaging with and challenging social workers to advocate on behalf of the children. The social workers talk positively about the home, in particular the approach to keeping the children safe. A social worker said, ‘She [the child] had a high number of missing-from-home incidents before she was at [the home]. She has not been missing for some time, and this is a huge improvement for her.’ There have been very few physical interventions, and those that have been necessary all

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

relate to the same child. However, managers do not consistently follow up and record the children’s views and concerns about physical interventions. This means that the children’s opinions are not always thoroughly explored. The manager has submitted notifications of significant incidents to Ofsted. However, an incident in which children forced their way past a member of staff into the sleep-in room and removed a potentially dangerous item was not reported to Ofsted. The incident was addressed effectively by the manager. However, failure to notify Ofsted about significant incidents means that Ofsted does not have a current view of concerns at the home and how they are managed. The sleep-in room contains items that are unsuitable for children and could pose a risk. Although this room is locked at all times, children have accessed the room previously.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children’s home: SC370910 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 28/04/2016 Full Requires improvement 29/01/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/08/2015 Full Good

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Recommendations

 Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This with particular reference to ensuring that the upstairs staff sleeping-in room does not present potential risks to children.  Any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint (regulation 35(3)(c)). Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  Regulation 40(4) requires the registered person to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. Inspection report children’s home: SC370910 4 This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bettercare Keys Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Laganwood House, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5NW

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Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy, social care inspector Debbie Young, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC370910 5 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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